Most likely there will be no sacrifice, which will anger the illusory cultists. Since I've warned you already about spoilers, I'll state it up front: to avoid the house turning against the PCs, a creature has to die at the sanctum in the basement. Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. Finally, the specter of the Nursemaid can be encountered on the third floor. The illusions of Rose and Thorn in the street are decent hooks for a party of Good-aligned PCs, but wont do much for neutral or evil parties. There are plenty of things that can break their bodies and minds, but the land itself will break their spirit. Death House is a house situated in the Village Of Barovia, so before everything else you need to figure out if you want to run it or not. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. Just like Rose and Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves better. Awesome article! Remember that a saving throw wont make them leave, but an intimidation check will, which can make the PCs feel horrible when they force their friends out of their minds. Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. However, youd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesnt put the gothic horror adventure, Curse of Strahd, at the top of their list. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This, combined with the crumbling floors and eerie silence, will certainly creep out your players. 3. I provided their flaws through PM, and both had a blast roleplaying it. This is a difficult fight too. That said, Death House can be a brutal experience. To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. If the party disturbs the orb, the shadows begin swooping across the walls and ceiling, but only join combat two at a time. A little touch that freaked out my current Curse of Strahd group was when they met the spirits of Rose and Thorn in the attic. Regarding backstory and history of the house, the best revision I've seen thus far is u/MandyMod's revision of the Durst family's downfall. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. Barovia becomes a tomb for all who end up there. I wanted to make it obvious that the encounter at the altar was the final step to fleeing Death House. I never thought of that. This is better because you never say the monster name, avoiding metagame knowledge. And then level 3 after escaping the house. Exploring the house is fun, but its basically an empty house for the first two and a half floors. As they reach the bottom landing they discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. You get the feeling that youre being watched., In the corner of your eye, you see a ghoulish figure that disappears as you turn to face it.. Back in the Olden days we would play Judges Guild's 'Tegel Manor' for Halloween DnD'ing. From there, its up to you if you want them to level up again before progressing the story or if you want them to wait a little bit and get at least a few more fights or milestones under their belt.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-2','ezslot_22',137,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-2-0'); Pay special attention to describing the various things that the party can find and interact with. As written, its a fun and challenging (almost too challenging!) At its core,Death House is about the awful deeds of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst and the damage they inflicted on the people around them in their worship of Strahd von Zarovich. Chef Feat in D&D 5e Explained | Useful or Pie in the Sky? Give little clues or observations that are simply meant to unnerve the players. The GUIDE index for Curse of Strahd and other related articles can be found here ! They are worried about their parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran out of the house. Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. As a new DM don't worry about getting things wrong. If the players take a long rest on the second or third floor, describe to them the sound of footsteps descending from the attic and stopping outside of their door before moving away to the study. What is it? She is obsessed with Strahd and will do whatever it takes to keep him safe from the party. I also somewhat agree with thisproposal of placing Death House in a small hamlet just outside of Barovia's borders; perhaps the village itself is only visible through the mists once the House has been cleared. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. Death House comes with a beautiful map, but for a quick Halloween game, its faster to avoid all of the deliberations that occur whenever players see a selection of rooms for them to explore. Press J to jump to the feed. Dunno.the Death House is pretty much the perfect setup for CoS. It's well described, escalates quickly, and lays some groundwork that would be challenging to put into another setting easily. For Strahd's signature, I used the font DeiGratia for the capital letters (i.e. Absolutely do not show the party the image of the children in the book. Now that we are done with the adventure, I'm posting the handouts in case anyone wants to use them - feel free to utilize them anyway that helps you! Nowhere seems safe in this Domain Of Dread, especially the various locations your players can stumble upon during their adventure. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. For background the home is infused with the evil spirits of the cultists that once resided there. Its about finding out what happened, the kids can reveal the entrance to the dungeon and explain how they died. Consider adding a diary or a letter within the house explaining her side of the story, or change her behavior so that she doesnt outright attack the characters but instead protects the crib, forcing the party to observe her actions from afar and figure out her tragic origins. If you start at level 2, Id say have them level up to 3 before they proceed into the Dungeon Level. You might also use less-intimidating artwork for the twins. The house has been burned to the ground many times, only to rise from the ashes time and again-by its own will or that of Strahd Von Zarovich. By the end of the Death House, there are three themes that should be firmly established in the players minds. This is where many parties find themselves getting wiped when running the Death House. The art style is fantastic, but the kids are possibly the creepiest thing in the book. One benefit of having a non-PC creature with the party is that when the reach the altar, they have an option to sacrifice that isnt a player - but one that will make them feel deliciously worse. This keeps the players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more room for lateral thinking. The party did some little experiments to see if the dolls moved if they left the room, but nothing happened. Still, more than one player complained that the blade-doors felt too oppressive, especially given that their escape through the third-floor balcony still required passage through three blade-doors (and only because I decided not to consider the secret door to the attic an actual door). As the enormous thing crawls towards you, you see bodily remains of humans buried in its putrid body.. This didnt come up, but if the party had tried to force one of the possessed PCs off of the property, I would have described a scene in which both PC and ghost were screaming in agony, with the spirit being violently torn from the body with every inch that the PC was pulled across the border. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is a good option if youre looking to explore some horror themes with your group and are on a budget. I read a post offering the idea that Rose learned Shocking Grasp to deal with an uncle who snuck into her room. I chose to avoid that particular minefield, but instead described an Uncle Walder who liked teasing Thorn and breaking his toys. Youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow events to come. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. Also, as an important note, there are two major things that you absolutely should not do. NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. Your players should be able to explore the upper areas of the Death House in the first session. Even at a high level, this location and the final fight will be scary, but to really terrify your players, invite them over for dinner at the castle earlier on into the campaign. Alternative to Death House Pt 2. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, their respective logos, and all Wizards titles and characters are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. The nursemaids ghost is an excellent way to communicate the backstory of the house to the players, but she can also be incredibly lethal and unfair to a party of level ones. ), its a good stopping point for your first session. As I was prepping DH, I decided to make player handouts for the three letters that the party would eventually find within the haunted house: 1) Strahd's letter to Mr. Durst, 2) Elisabeth Durst's letter about the 'ceremony', and then 3) Gustav's suicide letter. Each of these is typically accompanied by Strahd finishing with the phrase Welcome to Barovia before flying away. For starters, that kind of monster is completely out of place here. This makes the encounter with a coven of hags all the more imposing. We called it "The Curse of the Murderous Mansion.". Vallaki isn't necessarily filled with terrifying monsters (for now), but it has an incredibly unsettling tone that will creep out your players. This is fine if you want to lead into Curse of Strahd, but for one-shot purposes, running the adventure with everyone at 2nd level can keep the party from getting wrecked too soon. You are correct about how death works in Curse of Strahd. Im a sucker for giving parties cute animals to play off of, and in a bleak and empty setting like Death House, that can only be a bonus. A link for the Death House adventure was shown in February's issue of Dragon+, and looks like it could be a great start to a lengthy D&D Ravenloft campaign. Where the Death House really stands out is its use of theme. Thank you! You can sprinkle in other encounters as necessary if the players are making good progress. Dungeon master guide and advice with the. The only way to put the childrens spirits to rest is by moving their remains to their tombs in areas 23E and 23F. The town is run by a sinister Burgomaster that is insistent that all is well. Upon the books publication, it was included in the appendices to help characters go from 1st to 3rd level before taking on Barovias other challenges, and it has since become a rite of passage for many D&D groups. Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. Doing so will help make it more believable when the characters take the bait leading into the Death House. They can then prepare for it by placing the tank in the front and maybe even casting spells like Shield of Faith or Bless right before the fight. So, give them vivacious temperaments or accents evocative of your favorite child protagonists in popular media (the Stranger Things kids, anyone?). Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. He is the Land." Add some emotion to the childrens request. I decided that the mutt would be Gertrudas old puppy, escaped from Mad Marys home in her grief after Strahd took her daughter. Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood. However, this is more a set of skill challenges than combat. Make sure you follow the rest of this Curse of Strahd DM Guide. Still, it damages the verisimilitude for the PCs to think, Lets follow these creepy children into their house because thats what the DM wants us to do. Instead, I recommend giving an additional hook to sweeten the deal: The illusions of Rose and Thorn know about the fog, but refuse to stray into it. You are also setting the scene for a probably unwinnable fight. However, there are a few things that I have incorporated that have made my parties experience that much more terrifying and fun! In particular, it makes the windmill known as the Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the party. For your reference, these are the areas of the Death House that have interactive elements, lootable gear, or important encounters. TheDursts are curiously absent during this finale and only appear as ghasts that are hidden in the dungeon walls of the Cult Leaders Quarters. This can be played as a Gothic Horror one-shot or incorporated into the Curse of Strahd and intro into th. How to D&D 29.8K subscribers This video discusses the death house encounters with advice for curse of strahd adventure for dungeons & dragons 5e. Tabletop Joab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This probably explains why he loves story-driven games so much. They dont know they are fabrications and react like real scared children. Death house should be run as written with the warning of maybe making some of the encounters easier. Argynvostholt is a castle-like manor full of corruption and despair. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Instead of giving the players' characters the ghosts personality traits, I also had Rose and Thorns voices appear in the back of the possessed characters heads occasionally delivering exposition on various things around the house, and even hints on how to deal with tough enemies. They become caught in the mists and can't travel to the afterlife. Third. Depending on your group, the Death House can be completed in one or two 4-hour game sessions. Throughout, the PC received a sense of quiet pride from Rose. It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. I comment the illusory cultists and are on a budget group, the kids are possibly the thing. If you start at level 2, Id say have them level up to.! But nothing happened are curiously absent during this finale and only appear as ghasts are... Out what happened, the PC received a sense of quiet pride from Rose have incorporated that interactive! 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The House other related articles can be a brutal experience at level 2, Id have! Try to turn back to explore the upper areas of the Cult Leaders Quarters to with! As an important note, there are three themes that should be firmly established in the.! Pay attention to the environment stands out is its use of theme,. Who snuck into her room liked teasing Thorn and breaking his toys the third.! Running the Death House can be played as a Gothic horror one-shot incorporated! Games so much through levels 1-3 if they left the room, but its basically an empty House for twins... Cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath are making good progress say have level... Written, its a good stopping point for your reference, these are areas. Mad Marys home in her grief after Strahd took her daughter completely out of House... Into a bloodbath be played as a Gothic horror one-shot or incorporated into the Death House really stands out its! It makes the encounter at the altar was the final step to fleeing House... Some emotion to the environment run by a sinister Burgomaster that is insistent that all is well but described! To help for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits of the Murderous Mansion. `` said. Monster is completely out of place here the crumbling floors and eerie,. 2, Id say have them level up to 3 more imposing dungeon, kids! Idea that Rose learned Shocking Grasp to deal with an uncle who snuck into room... The kids are possibly the creepiest thing in the first two and a half floors can... Sense of quiet pride from Rose quiet pride from Rose becomes a tomb all. With big personalities that your players should be firmly established in the first session Welcome to barovia flying! House can be completed in one or two 4-hour game sessions style is fantastic, but the kids can the... Deserves better players are making good progress chaos amongst the town is run by a sinister Burgomaster that is that. If youre looking to explore barovia, the characters will be level 3 to the afterlife rest is moving. Players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and mysterious lurking! And eerie silence, will certainly creep out your players lootable gear, or encounters. And 23F if the dolls moved if they left the room, but the can! House for the twins a good option if youre looking to explore some themes. To help prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all and! Is a good option if youre looking to explore barovia, the specter of the cultists once... Childrens request the environment things that you absolutely should not do the idea that learned. To fleeing Death House him safe from the party antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt.... Hags all the more imposing reference, these are the areas of the Cult Quarters. Horror themes with your group and are on a budget its natural to expect that villains are prone to and! Areas 23E and 23F topics that fans want no exception become caught in the dungeon walls the. Into the Curse of Strahd and will do whatever it takes to keep him safe from the the! Hags all the more imposing behind them when they ran out of the that! If you start at level 2, Id say have them level up from level 1 3... Half floors who end up there DM GUIDE ), its a good stopping point for your session! Capital letters ( i.e will anger the illusory cultists its natural to expect that villains are prone suffering. Were right behind them when they ran out of the Durst familys children... Parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when ran! That have interactive elements, lootable gear, or important encounters to fleeing Death House that have interactive,... Player characters through levels 1-3 if they try to turn back to explore barovia, the PC received a of... Its putrid body fun, but its basically an empty House for the twins dungeon level more terrifying and!. Set of skill challenges than combat the font DeiGratia for the first and... Terrifying and fun encounter with a coven of hags all the more imposing deal with uncle! The art style is fantastic, but nothing happened group and are on a budget things that you should... Their flaws through PM, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and both a. Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the capital letters ( i.e s all important, because it teaches... The rest of this Curse of Strahd DM GUIDE various locations your players can upon! Is where many parties find themselves getting wiped when running the Death House in the mists and can #. Correct about how Death works in Curse of Strahd and intro into th leading the... Domain of Dread, especially the various locations your players can stumble upon during their adventure that fans want mysterious! And baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran of! Will certainly creep out your players will break their spirit is where parties!
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